old Brother printer wont scan to new Winodws 11 computer, could be SMB 3.0

SMB 3.0 has been the standard for Windows since Windows 7.... the difference is that Windows 10 1709+ and Windows 11 don't have SMB 1.0 installed by default.... so if your looking for a protocol issue, that is more likely your culprit
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/file-server/troubleshoot/detect-enable-and-disable-smbv1-v2-v3

Having said the above, scanners don't generally operate over SMB.

According to this - https://help.brother-usa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/175562 it is supported on Windows 11 and the win 11 drivers are available from https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=au&lang=en&prod=mfc9970cdw_all&os=10068

windows 11 also requires this patch - KB5008215 - to fix USB connection issues - this is more likely to be the issue than anything to do with SMB.

Googled.
That device was released in 2010. In 2010, no windows version could speak SMB3, so that scanner won't have featured it (no Hayes, Win7 couldn't and still can't talk SMB3). So unless a firmware update has changed that, you will not be able to scan to a machine that has SMB3 only active.
But: Win10/11 offer SMB2.0 as well for older devices.

That leaves us with: can this scanner use SMBv2?

Thanks guys Hayes, I should have mentioned this is scanning over the network using SMB.

McKnife, yes that is the question, can the scanner use SMBv2.  I did google looking for an answer but got fludded with "how to setup scanning" I couldn't find what versions.  So these are new computer that came with W11pro so ill go in and look and see if I can add v2, or even v1 to test it.

You misunderstood. SMB V2 is already activated in win11. So for a test, your task is to enable smbv1.

OK so I thought I was going to see (on this came pre installed with W11pro) check boxes for SMBv1 v2 and v3, but it just showed V1 and SMB.  I figured I can temporarily add v1 and see if that works.

I'm not going to that office so I have to wait till he comes in and tests it.

Thanks all.

Yes, I'm waiting on that part.  Thanks all.

Hi Dan,

I've been using network-connected Brother MFCs for nearly 20 years. Getting them to work for printing and scanning has always been simply a matter of installing the correct drivers for the version of Windows, including bit level. As noted earlier by Hayes, the MFC-9970CDW downloads are here:
https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=mfc9970cdw_all&os=10068

The problem sometimes is that Brother has not developed drivers for a new version of Windows for an older device. But that's not the case here, where the link does show drivers for the MFC-9970CDW, including for scanning, both TWAIN and WIA (likely, WIA2, too). However, do NOT install the Printer Driver & Scanner Driver for Local Connection at that link. Instead, use the Full Driver & Software Package installer, which is where you'll find the network scanner drivers. Below is an example of that from my install of an MFC-L8850CDW on W11 (I do have an MFC-9970CDW, but it is at a different location that I don't have access to now...and, besides, the site has no W11 machines...the MFC-9970CDW dialogs will be similar to those below, if not identical):


As you can see, I install only the printer and scanner drivers because I use other software for scanning (and I don't care about the PS driver, faxing, and the other features in the package). But, of course, if you use other features, such as CC4 for scanning, simply tick them.

After doing that install on W11, scanning works perfectly via both TWAIN and WIA on the W11 system. I did not mess with SMB or any settings in W11.

Quick bottom line: Install the MFC-9970CDW network scanner drivers, configure the IP address correctly, and scanning should work fine. Regards, Joe

Hi Joe, same here working with Brother MFC's forever.  I know the software pull scan would work, in this case like most of my Brother MFC scanning scenario's I'm using the push method, not the scan to PC, but the SMB scan.  I typically do this if the user is used to the San to network folder.  I know I can change them, but I have allot of these out there using this method and kinda wanted to find the fix for the SMB scan.

Hi Dan,

I've never worked with SMB for my Brother MFCs, so can't help you with personal experience. Perhaps this Brother support article will help:

https://help.brother-usa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/174597/~/configure-smb-version-settings

Regards, Joe

check whether the windows firewall permits SMB traffic in? when you pick the scan to SMB, can you explore the path provide credentials?
Why not use the scan to pc option, this one is using the proprietery control4 exchange.
you are limited to where the file will go, you can preset the destination to be where you want it to end up.

Hi Arnold, in troubleshooting I shut off the firewall, no dice.  I have never liked the scan to pc button, I like managing these devices strictly remotely, I remember scan to PC had some steps that had to be done at the printer console.  Also I have a ton of these SMB scanners out there.

Hi Joe, maybe this printer is too old for that SMB choice to be there, I'll see if there is a firmware update, this is what my screen is under "Configure Protocol".

Update, I added SMB 1.0 to the receiving PC and the scan worked.  

That was expected. Since you would try to avoid SMBv1, do the firmware upgrade now. Since there's firmware as of 2014, if you are lucky, higher SMB dialects will be supported.

Avoid SMBv1 at all cost.  That is why MS pulled it from Windows 10.  I could not find mention about what versions of SMB that printer supported, so possibly it only supports SMBv1.

McKnife, I updated it but there still isn't a choice for SMB2 or 3

Jason: if the only SMBv1 connection is the scanning is it that much of a consern?  

I think the only answer to get around this would be replacing the scanner, or scan to pc, and these guys hate change, so I would say that would be out.

As long as you allow SMBv1 in, you risk to face some new SMBv1 security problem, some day.
If you use the local firewall and on SMB port TCP 445, you only let in the IP of the scanner, that would be a start.
Then an attacker would need to know about all this and not become aware of the SMBv1 server after doing a port scan already.

Thanks McKnife, but wouldn't the hackers have to have physical access to their network?

Sure, they would. You would be defending against attackers in-house (could of course be attackers that operate from outside but took control over an inhouse workstation).

A small attack against a computer that can take control of another computer with higher credentials would potentially be a huge problem.  I would not take the risk.  I would replace the printer (Scanner).  You could probably repurpose that device for printer only functions within the business.

usually, smbv2 and smv3 are enabled. smbv1 is disabled by default.

have a look at  using powershell to check which are open.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/file-server/troubleshoot/detect-enable-and-disable-smbv1-v2-v3

He just enabled SMBv1 for testing, which works for the scanner.

Hi Joe, maybe this printer is too old for that SMB choice to be there,

Seems to be the case since your firmware update didn't give you v2 or v3. That's a shame...the MFC-9970CDW is a real workhouse. I still have one in operaton...no signs of dying. Lasted much longer than the MFC-9840CDW, probably because the 9840 has to flip the pages physically for a duplex scan, while the 9970 does a duplex scan in a single pass.

Should you still want to retain, one option is to use a VM without a default gateway as the host of the shares to which this scanner will scan and ave smbv1 enabled.